All about my adventures in finding things - vintage, pre-loved or uniquely new - and, in some cases,
making them 'dandy' by adding to them.
dan·dy [dan-dee] adjective: something or someone of exceptional or first-rate quality.

Monday, 24 December 2012

I totally forgot about this recent find when I posted my Christmassy Found Friday last week - mostly because it was in our bedtime reading spot with all the other little Christmas stories we have been reading lately.

I found this 1979 Golden Book telling of an 1822 story the other week - and well it's fitting I forgot it last Friday as it's much more appropriate to share with you today.

I am away taking in the festive season with my family so may find myself too full of cheer to post for a but so until then and wherever you find yourself this Christmas Eve

Friday, 21 December 2012

This weeks finds are all Christmas related - I haven't found them all this week but gathered then along the way and they are in my once a year bag of goodies. Most of them aren't on display this year - I am down 5 mantle pieces from my last home and last Christmas and as you well know I went all neon this year - see the Neon Christmas here. They will resurface next year and hopefully will find some additional walls and shelves to call home for December. Here is a sneak peek before then,

A little one footed Robin who resided in London when we met (as did I) - he had both feet then. That Christmas with not a lot of cash to spend on presents or posting back home we chose a special decoration for each member of the family - I don't remember now who this was meant to be for but I couldn't part with him so bought another and kept him for my very own.

A vintage Santa tin

Two sweet little Santa cross-stitches - the first must once have been framed at some point and I think I would like to re-frame him before next year.

Lastly - not really xmas but I found these chunky blocks a while ago and couldn't resist - ho ho ho

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Our little man is two - it's hard to believe even though we've had the party, eaten the cake, sung the song (many times) and opened the presents.

His birthday was this Monday just gone be we got in early for a party last Saturday. There was no other choice for a theme but Thomas the Tank Engine - his favourite by far - but I wanted to avoid the overly merchandised decorations and make it a little more 'dandy'.

I was fortunate to find red, white and blue decorations that I could add a little touch of Thomas to. I made my own 'stickers' with circular printing labels and added these to party hats and bunting and also to the favour bags I bought from Ikea, which are intended as a sweet advent calendar but I saw them and knew straight away what I would do.

I found blue and red shoe sized gift boxes and added the opposite coloured bottle tops for wheels and these formed a party train full of fairy bread, popcorn, lollipops and chips.

The finishing touch was a Thomas cake - I made it based on the traditional Woman's Weekly train cake and several others I found online. I modelled the face from fondant from a tutorial I also found online (happy to share this link if anyone wants it just comment below), it was my first time working with fondant and I was pretty pleased with the results.

It was a fantastic day and he enjoyed himself very much which was very obvious from the mix of dirt and sugar coating all of him at the end of the day. I was also very grateful to my very generous parents in-law who helped us out with a last minute emergency venue change.

What I am most grateful for though is this little person in my life. He is turning into a little boy very quickly, he has cheek and never-ending energy but also the sweetest of ways and manners and charm. He surprises me every day and makes me feel like celebrating too.

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

I posted this Found Friday back in August. I had found the plastic apple container baubles and they made me think of Christmas. As I mentioned then I had already thought about doing a neon christmas this year inspired by the neon pink ribbons I found attached to trees and fences after a local primary school fun run. That combined with the strong Neon, Natural and Neutral trend that we have seen this year which I also wrote about in February and it was settled - we were having a neon christmas!

As much as I love the traditional christmas colours I am loving this for a bit of Australian summer Christmas brightness. We won't be here for the actual day but there is no reason we can't be festive before then and it is a colour party at our house right now.

I made this 'bauble' garland from cut neon card and jute string. It hangs beautifully against the crisp white walls.

My apple 'baubles' and pink ribbon needed a new branch home so I scoured my local parks after a recent storm and found a lovely selection of branches which I have tied together. I popped them into a street salvaged vintage jar with pebbles topped with lights. Even with all this it just didn't feel christmassy enough then I remembered I had found a bag of tinsel at the Op-shop the other day so made little tinsel nests - festive tree complete.

The same day I found the tinsel at the Op-shop I also found this mini silver tree. I neon-ed it up with circle cut 'baubles' hole punched through the top and twisted in place. A mini tree would not be complete without a mini present. I think most people who opened it might be disappointed to find it is only full of the neon 'confetti' all that hole punching produced.

The last bit of Christmas bright might be a step too far? I had the idea of making a doily tree for the window, inspired by several I have seen but it had to have a neon twist. To neon it up I splatter painted the paper doilies with fluorescent paint and made a 'tree' in the window. I love it but it is possibly a little too pink for the boys in the house, they do outnumber me 2 to 1 after all. It has received some interesting comments from passers by usually along the lines of 'Pink?!' It really comes into it's own at night though all lit up. I would love to know what you think?

So there it is our neon Christmas - I figure I may never do this again so I went with it - would you do a neon Christmas? Whether you would or not may all your Christmases be bright.

xo
Siobhain

P.S a big thank you to Craig Proudford for the photos (despite his reservations about the pinkness of the tree xo)

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

I have been on pinterest for nearly 2 years now and while I am a self confessed pinaholic I rarely find the time to make the things I pin to make or to take inspiration from. That's the pinning irony isn't it - I'm too busy pinning stuff to make the stuff I pin.

Finally I have done it!

I saw this cute and clever idea for toddlers having their own tree on pinterest earlier this year, here is my felt tree pin originally from the blog johnnyinadress.com

I decided to take inspiration from it and make my own for my little guy. The best thing being when we go on holidays to my parents for Christmas he can take his little tree with him - we will just roll it up.

I didn't follow any instructions but made it up as I went along - happy to share this with anyone who wants to know - it involved making a tree template and printing off outlines of decorations from the internet to also use as templates.

I made it so it is cardboard backed and can be taped or blu-tacked to his door or laid flat on his play table. He has had fun decorating and redecorating it today exclaiming "I made it" each time.

So there you go - I pinned it AND I made it. Now to get to the other thousands of pins - I told you I was addicted.

Monday, 3 December 2012

I am back after a months absence. Most of it spent madly dashing to finish assignments for my Interior Design Diploma. I am pleased to say they all went in on time and with positive feedback. I hope to share some of the details of them with you in the coming weeks or early in the new year if I don't escape the festive season grip.

The last week has been catching up on the domestic side of things - all the stuff that goes by the wayside when you are just too busy and are getting too little sleep to worry if that washing ever goes near a draw before heading back to the laundry again.

It is fitting that I am back in action today as it is a day of celebration.
A year ago today Find & Dandy was born!

The seed of an idea that is this blog had been rolling around inside of me for some years and this day last year I finally hit that publish button and held my breath.

What has a year meant for me and Find & Dandy? Has it been all I would imagine it to be?
Yes and No.

The experience of blogging and sharing my ideas with you has been better than I had ever expected. I have enjoyed every minute of it. The only trouble has been the ideas have been bigger, more ambitious and too many than my schedule outside this blogoshpere has allowed me to deliver - an eternal frustration I must admit but a delightfully exciting frustration to have, one I hope to alleviate at every opportunity through this next year. I especially hope to dandy it more for you this year - yep getting my dandy on at least once a week is a new blog years resolution.

Here is just a little of what I have found this year:
• What I want to be when I grow up. I have had a few jobs and a few careers and have studied a few things along the way but these last few years of studying Interior Design have shown me that I have found my place, my language and my area of contribution - what all that means is what I, fortunately, still have time to figure out. Lucky me.
• I like yellow! This one has been a great surprise to me. I have never liked yellow before. I still can't wear it close to my lilly white skin but I do now own mini yellow chairs, yellow shoes and a yellow macramé pot hanger among other sunny additions this year.
• Instagram. A little insight in snapshots to other peoples days - sanctioned voyeurism with colour and style, what's not to like.
• I can draw better than I thought I can. This one is an ongoing practice.
• I am obsessed with needlepoint - but then you knew that.
• I already knew this but it is great to find out again - the support of family and friends is the best thing to have in your life. I am truly blessed in this regard.
• No matter how busy I get I must visit an Op-Shop at least fortnightly to fuel the finding addiction. I doubt there are programs for this but even if there were I could not be encouraged to attend.
• Above all else time is the thing I most wish to find more of.

Find and Dandy will turn two before I know it but before then I have a real train themed 2nd birthday to plan in a few weeks for the little man in my life so I'm off to practice fondant and make party bags.

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Find out about me

I am a mum and an interior design student with a love (some would say addiction) to 'finding' things in all manner of ways - off the street, in second hand shops and at garage sales. I also don't mind a beach-comb it must be said.
Here you may also hear about my adventures in 'finding' the great things in life along with my family and friends and having a 'dandy' time doing it.
A find: something found; a discovery, especially a valuable or gratifying one.
To find oneself: to discover where one's real interests or talents lie, and follow them.